You'll want the best PC case if you're building your perfect gaming PC
The best PC case is more than just a box house all your components; its a stylish box, a statement to express your love, or utter disdain, for RGB. You want your PC case to make a statement on your desk, or look nicely subdued. You get to choose from full towers(opens in new tab) or mini-ITX(opens in new tab) cases. The options are pretty varied depending on how big and extravagant you want your build.
If you're looking to build a gaming PC(opens in new tab) with heaps of personality, picking the best PC case to match your style and needs is a good place to start. Find one that shows off your aesthetic—be that simple and clean, or excruciatingly loud. You're going to be staring at your PC every day, so make it your own.
A bad case is one that limits your expandability options, or makes it super difficult to build your machine into. If building a PC seems a little out of your comfort zone in general, you can always go with a prebuilt gaming PC(opens in new tab), and skip the stress of building your own.
Before you fork out on the best PC case ever, there are a couple of things you should consider first. How big is your graphics card? What motherboard are you going with? How many drive bays do you need? Figure out what's going into the case before you buy it, so you're sure everything will fit. Here are the best cases we've tested this year, after building them up and down and, of course, checking them for fire hazards(opens in new tab).
Cooler Master Cosmos C700P
The best full tower PC case in 2022
SPECIFICATIONS
Form Factor: Full-tower
Motherboard Support: E-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
Dimensions: 25.2 x 12 x 25.6-inches (639 x 306 x 651mm)
Weight: 48.9lb (22.2kg)
Radiator Support: 120mm; 140mm; 240mm; 280mm
I/O Ports: 1x Audio/Mic, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, 4x USB 3.0
Drive Bays: 2x 2.5-inch, 8x 3.5-inch
REASONS TO BUY
+
Integrated RGB lighting system
+Adjustable motherboard layout
REASONS TO AVOID
-
Only three internal drives
-Mediocre performance when using stock cooling
Much like the original Cooler Master Cosmos, the C700P is a hefty beast with a similarly large price tag. However, we'd argue that it's worth the expense. A beautiful handlebar design, curved glass panel, and sleek color scheme are matched by features that'll support even the most high-end components (including E-ATX motherboards and oversized GPUs).
A larger footprint means that you won't be pushed for space either, making it a delight to build into. What's more, the RGB lighting is subtle enough that it won't distract you while you game. Yes, this is a lot to spend on an enclosure. However, those willing to go all out on a build will get a case with everything they need to create a stunning PC.
Corsair Carbide 275R
The best budget PC case
SPECIFICATIONS
Form Factor: Mid-tower
Motherboard Support: ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
Dimensions: 18.1 x 8.3 x 17.9-inches (460 x 211 x 455mm)
Weight: 22.4lb (10.14kg)
Radiator Support: 120mm; 140mm; 240mm; 280mm; 360mm
I/O Ports: 1x Audio/Mic, 2x USB 3.0
Drive Bays: 3x 2.5-inch, 2x 3.5-inch
REASONS TO BUY
+
Minimal branding
+Full-length dust filters
+Great cooling support
REASONS TO AVOID
-
Thermal Performance
One of Corsair's best cases, the Carbide 275R, might be the ultimate minimalist's case. Aside from a small "sail" logo on the front panel, the 275R ditches additional branding for the sake of a clean design for the style-obsessed. While the design may be minimal, the functionality isn't.
Unlike NZXT's similarly minimal S340, the Carbide 275R can support a 360mm radiator in the front and up to six 120mm fans. With a modest $80 price tag, the 275R is a good case for beginners and advanced users looking to create a sleek custom loop.
NZXT H1 V2
The best mini-ITX chassis
SPECIFICATIONS
Motherboard support: Mini-ITX
Dimensions: 405 x 196 x 196 mm
Weight: 7.6 kg
GPU clearance: 324 x 58 mm
Memory clearance: 46 mm
Front I/O: 2x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Type-C, 3.5 mm audio jack
PSU: 750W SFX 80 Plus Gold included
Cooling: 140 mm AIO CPU cooler, 92 mm rear fan
Riser cable: PCIe 4.0 x16
Warranty: 3 years (case, riser card, AIO), 10 years (PSU)
REASONS TO BUY
+
Great to build into
+Extra cooling
+Routed cabling is a blessing
REASONS TO AVOID
-
Doesn't support tall RAM modules
-Large initial outlay despite added cooling and PSU
I was a big fan of the original NZXT H1 mini-ITX chassis when it first came out. But then, mine never caught fire, which is a good thing because I've been using it as the basis for my office work machine ever since. My boss would not have been pleased if I'd burned down the PC Gamer offices because of a faulty PCIe riser cable.
Aside from that specific riser problem, the H1 was a fantastic package to build a wee peecee into. And so is this recently updated version, too. On the face of it, this H1 V2 looks identical and you'd be forgiven for thinking it was just a new release of the same case with an even more non-burn-y PCIe riser cable for your GPU. But NZXT has actually done a lot to improve the overall design, even though it does make for a more expensive, slightly larger and heavier mini-ITX case.
The real beauty of the H1 is that it includes both a powerful PSU and a liquid CPU cooler, so the really awkward bits of a mini-ITX build are taken care of. If you've ever built a small form factor PC you will understand the pain of trying to route a million, unnecessarily long PSU cables around the motherboard, graphics card, and everything else. Then trying to mount a capable-enough cooler into the limited confines of a mini-ITX case… well, that's a task in itself.
A note of warning, however, and that is the clearance between the radiator fan and the top of your memory isn't huge. It is another 1mm higher than the original, but with just 46mm as your maximum memory height some DIMMs are simply going to be too big. Our Corsair Dominator DDR5(opens in new tab) sticks we've used in our Alder Lake test rig, and the mini-ITX B660, proved just too tall to close the case.
NZXT helps the build process with clear labelling within and without the chassis. I had issues actually getting into the tool-less design of the first H1, but it ships with labelling on the outside explaining how to gain access. And inside there are tags and stickers indicating what goes where, and how to shift things around to gain access to the motherboard tray, for example.
In all, NZXT has made many welcome improvements to what was already a very good mini-ITX chassis design—well-documented riser issues aside. I get that the $400 price tag will sting for a lot of people, but 750W SFX power supplies don't come cheap, and nor do AIO coolers that would squeeze into something so relatively small.
Phanteks Evolv X
.webp)
SPECIFICATIONS
Form factor: Mid-tower
Motherboard Support: E-ATX, ATX, M-ATX, mini-ITX
Dimensions: 20.5 x 9.5 x 20.1-inches (240 x 520 x 510mm)
Weight: 33lb (15kg)
Radiator Support: 120mm, 140mm, 240mm, 280mm, 360mm, 420mm
I/O Ports: 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, 1x headphone, 1x microphone
Drive bays: 6x 2.5-inch, 4x 3.5-inch
REASONS TO BUY
+
Supports dual-system builds
+Spacious well-designed interior
+Great cable management
REASONS TO AVOID
-
Mediocre Thermals
-Pricey
Phanteks has made some incredible cases over the years, but the Evolv X stands out as an excellent chassis for anyone looking to build a mid-tower PC with a little something extra. That extra being the ability to slide two systems into its pleasing form—there's room for an ITX system in the top to go above the main ATX system. It's a bit of a squeeze for sure, but it is possible.
If your demands aren't quite so 'out there', then you'll find it roomy to build in, and there are enough neat little touches and funky design choices to cover almost any build you have in mind. There's space for all-in-one liquid coolers in the top (up to 360mm) and front (up to 420mm); it comes with a universal fan hub, three Phanteks Premium 120mm fans, and has cable-hiding flaps in the rear so that it looks good whichever side you look at. You can slide a frankly ridiculous amount of storage into it as well.
Corsair iCUE 5000T RGB
ECIFICATIONS
Form Factor: Mid-tower
Motherboard Support: Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX, E-ATX
Dimensions: 530 x 251 x 560mm
Weight: 14.53kg
Radiator Support: 120mm, 140mm, 240mm, 280mm, 360mm
I/O Ports: USB 3.0 x4, USB 3.1 Type-C x1, 3.5mm
Drive Bays: 4x 2.5-inch, 2x 3.5mm
REASONS TO BUY
+
Quality is off the chain
+RGB lighting looks great
+RGB fans included
+Lots of options for cooling
+You don't have to worry if your cat sits on top of it
REASONS TO AVOID
-
Expensive
-Requires iCUE to operate at its best
-Default fan curves are unnecessarily aggressive
-No rear fan in the box
This PC case runs the risk of pulling the attention away from your precious components. You might have the flashiest GPU going, or even RAM sticks emblazoned with gems, but the first thing anyone is going to look at when they see your PC is all that RGB lighting.
There are tons of LED RGBs in the Corsair 5000T, the company's loaded more of them into this one case than any before. There are six RGB strips around the exterior of the case, and the three LL120 fans will light up all colors of the rainbow if you so wish. All of which is controlled via the Commander Core XT and the iCUE software.
For my testing, I settled for a triple-fan radiator in a pull configuration up top and the three included LL120 fans located in the front, as they were out of the box. To keep that airflow whizzing past my PC components, I also opted for a 120mm fan on the rear. That's actually one of the few setbacks with this case: there's no rear fan included. It's no big deal if you're swapping over your build from another, as I was, but since I was sent the white model, the black rear fan from an old NZXT build isn't quite as in keeping with the aesthetic as I'd like.
Though this cooling configuration is really effective. A triple-fan all-in-one was always going to keep my AMD Ryzen 7 5800X in good check, but the RX 6900 XT loaded into this PC can get a little toasty without some help. The three LL120 fans on the balanced preset provide plenty of that.
A 30-minute run of the Heaven benchmark offers a good idea of what sort of cooling potential we're looking at here under gaming conditions. The results are a pretty level 81°C under load for the duration of the test, which is a comfortable baseline for temperature in my books.
Corsair's default fan curve via the Commander Core XT is pretty aggressive. My CPU can fairly regularly bounce up to 60°C or more, and with the default fan curve set that would see the fans regularly spring to action at rather mundane times during the day. To fix this, and lessen the din these fans produce, I had to hop into iCUE to create a custom fan curve.
If you're not a fan of iCUE or don't want to use any such software on your machine, the 5000T probably isn't the case for you. This is a case that's pretty much dependent on its software. The RGB LED strips, fan lighting, and fan speeds are all adjusted via the Commander Core XT, and that's plugged right into the iCUE software as first port of call.
Still, thing is beautifully crafted from steel, plastic, and tempered glass, and while that means it's pretty heavy, it's a real statement PC case for a high-end PC build. You could definitely go more compact for your PC, but you'll not find many as well-made as this.